In software programming, there is a common practice to specify input parameters (commonly referred to as arguments) for a piece of code. The piece of code may be a function, a method, an executable, or the like. In traditional run-time environments, a compiler performs a check on the code to ensure that the correct number and the correct type of input parameters are specified before the code is invoked. If the compiler determines that the code would be invoked without the correct number or correct type of input parameters, the compiler generates an error. The code may then be modified to specify the correct number or type of input parameters and be re-compiled. Thus, in this type of environment, the correct information must be known and specified at compile time. This prevents many run-time errors.
In interpretive environments, such as command line environments, the code itself must perform the check on the input as the input is entered. The code may employ filters to ensure that the code receives the correct input entities. Checking whether the correct input is specified is very important, but sometimes requires sophisticated programming knowledge. Many system administrators using command line environments do not possess the necessary programming knowledge or do not want to perform this type of check. Because of this, many times the input parameters are not properly checked. Unfortunately, this may lead to errors.
Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism that ensures the correct input entities are supplied, without requiring sophisticated programming knowledge.